FA Cup final is defining moment to save or sink Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal career

Sitting on the sideline next to a pensive Steve Bould is Arsene Wenger with his head in his hands – his hair seeming to get whiter by the minute. It’s not a pretty sight but we have somehow become used to it.

Some fans have been very vocal about the inability of the club to win trophies, to the extent that some have called for Wenger’s head.

Long live the king! Kill the king! Football can be like that, but Wenger has been one of the luckiest men alive to be considered an exclusion to this paradigm for so long.

Nine years of trophy drought, however, can catch up with even the most successful manager.

Wenger knows he must win something. His silence about extending his contract speaks of a man devising a last ditch effort to do so.

And the FA Cup has presented itself as the last chance this season.

Hero of the hour: Lukasz Fabianski sent his side into the final after saving two penalties against Wigan (Picture: Getty)

If Arsenal win the FA Cup, it would be memorable, defining, symbolic.

That 2005 FA Cup triumph over a Man United side led by Sir Alex Ferguson, now retired, was the last trophy – the one that later came to signify the end of a golden era at Arsenal. How fitting it would be if another FA Cup triumph starts a new era. But that’s just wishful thinking… for now.

The Gunners have only 90 minutes against Hull City that stand in the way.

It’s close but not sealed. Going out on that Wembley pitch will also bring old fears and memories to the surface, particularly those from a painful League Cup final against Birmingham in 2011.

All due respect to Hull City, who have done terrifically to reach the final, and who will be tough opposition to break down – but a win would mean so much, to Wenger especially.

Whether he stays or goes in the summer, this FA Cup final will leave a mark on his career.

Win and leave, and be the manager who made Arsenal a global club and successfully oversaw the transition to the new stadium.

Win and stay, and be the manager who is also a living legend.

Lose and stay, and be the manager who refuses to see reality.

Lose and leave, and be the manager who changed the club forever but lost his way in the process.

That question still hangs over Wenger’s career but this year might be the year in which bad spells are broken – or not.